Animal rights activists have today occupied the Christchurch electoral office of Gerry Brownlee in an effort to force the Government to outlaw factory farming.

Members of the Resist group gathered in the Minister Brownlee's office calling for National to bring an end to the practice of battery farming pigs and chickens.

Event co-ordinator Shanti Ahluwalia said National had spent nine years reviewing the issue but had made no changes.

"Now is the perfect time to call National to account for their failures to help animals," he said.

"Factory farming is only a tiny proportion of the animal economy. Animals bring in a great deal of money for the New Zealand economy but factory farmed chickens only account for about 2 per cent of that."

Minister Brownlee spoke with the activists over the phone and asked them to leave, a request which was denied.

During the 2014 election Labour adopted a policy to remove factory farming by 2017.

The Christchurch electoral office of National MP Gerry Brownlee has been occupied by animal rights activists today.
Source: 1 NEWS